Richard Branson’s Virgin Galactic has been fairly quiet of late but the commercial spaceliner has recently posted video footage of SpaceShipTwo’s third supersonic test flight.

The test this time around was for the company’s RCS (Reaction Control System) as well as a new thermal protection coating, though other aspects of the craft were also examined during the run. SpaceShipTwo hit its highest altitude to date, climbing to 71,000 feet during the recent test.

Richard Branson is fairly confident the Virgin Galactic will begin operating to the public soon, saying “I couldn’t be happier to start the New Year with all the pieces visibly in place for the start of full space flights. 2014 will be the year when we will finally put our beautiful spaceship in her natural environment of space.”

Source: Virgin Galactic via Engadget